What is Evangelical?
The word “evangelical” relates to the gospels as written in the Christian Bible. It is rooted in the Greek word “evangelion” or “gospel” or “good news”. In its simplest sense, an evangelical would mean somebody that believes the writings on the four gospels of the Bible. In this context, being evangelical could be used to pertain to all Christians and/or Christian denominations that use the Bible and the gospels in their teachings. In its generic sense, an “Evangelical” is a person who shares and spreads the good news of the gospels to other people.

But aside from its generic meaning, an “Evangelical” may refer to a specific Christian church or denomination. One such denomination is called “Evangelicalism” which is a Protestant-based church founded in the UK back in the 1730s. Being part of this church involved various commitments to its Christian beliefs. One example of a basic commitment of an “Evangelical” is to become “born again”. Being “born again” is interpreted in many ways by various religious groups. But generally, being “born again” refers to some form of spiritual rebirth of a person. Many religious orders, including the Roman Catholic Church, use the sacrament of baptism as the symbol for being “born again”. But other protestant groups refer to the term as some form of “conversion” from the old person to a “renewed” being. Being part of the Evangelical church also involves the duty of actively spreading the good news or the gospels. In the teachings of this church, emphasis is also put on the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ which symbolizes the saving of mankind from sins.

But aside from this Protestant movement from the UK, being “Evangelical” may also mean other Christians that are considered as fundamentalists or right-wing Republicans. Others also label themselves as “evangelicals” to differentiate their group from Catholic and Orthodox Christians.